Campaign Finance Reform

Top officials in the Koch brothers’ political organization released a staggering $889 million budget last month to fund the activities of the billionaires’ sprawling social network before the 2016 presidential contest. The budget, which pays for everything from advertising and data-gathering technology to grass-roots activism, was released to donors attending the annual winter meeting of Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce.

In 2012, Freedom Partners spent nearly $240 million as it funded nearly three dozen organizations, ranging from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to smaller Tea Party groups. The fundraising target is the latest indication that the industrialists at the center of the network, Charles and David Koch, intend to continue building an operation that rivals — or exceeds — the national political parties in size and scope to help advance their libertarian principles. By comparison, the Republican National Committee (RNC) raised and spent nearly $400 million during the 2012 presidential election cycle.